I've Got the Gift of One Liners
by Catastrofairy
Summary: Jessie is a shy, quiet sophomore at Upton Sinclair. Katie...isn’t. But when a near disaster causes them to meet, they just might find out that opposites attract. JK
1. And You've Got the Curse of Curves

Background: Main focus is on Jessie and Katie. They're in high school, they've never met before, and pretty much everything is like what it was in the show. (if that even makes sense)

Disclaimer: all characters belong to Once and Again, I own nothing. (so far)

Reviews: This is my first fic ever, and I have no idea what I'm doing...so ya, reviews would be nice. (please? lol) No reviews, no updates, mmkay?

Rated: K+

Tap-tap-tap went Jessie Sammler's thumbnail, her purple nail polish chipped and worn, hitting up against the side of her iPod. She looked out the car window, catching glimpses of the scenery rushing by, the lonely tops of tall trees accented by a gray sky.

Today was her first day back to school from winter break, the beginning of her second semester as a lowly sophomore at Upton Sinclair high school. She should be thrilled, right? Wrong!

If Jessie could pick anywhere in the world to be that morning, school would definitely not be her first choice. Sure, she made good grades. She wasn't exactly ugly either. And, as far as she knew, she wasn't on anybody's hit list. But despite also having a few friends here and there, she still felt like there was something missing. Even though she pretty much had everything in the world going for her, she still felt lonely and insecure around the sea of students.

'_Ugh...my stomach is killing me_,' she thought. She slipped her hand under her shirt, feeling the emptiness of the area. She barley had time to dash out the front door and into Grace's car before her step-sister went ballistic on her this morning, so eating breakfast was definitely out of the question.

In her morning rush she didn't even think about grabbing something on the way out, which would have assured her parents of her eating habits. Now her lack of food would give rise to many questions about her diet when she got home, she thought, furrowing her brow. She tapped her thumb even louder to the music.

"Jessie, will you PLEASE stop that?!" A shrill voice broke her thoughts.

She looked up to find a very disgruntled Grace scowling at her.

Jessie immediately stopped the tapping, and at the same time slipped her headphones off of her head and around her neck. "Sorry Grace, guess it's just nerves," she sighed.

"Well, we're almost there," Grace breathed, turning her attention back to the road. "Just...relax, Jessie."

Jessie nodded, rolling her eyes to herself. She looked back out the window, watching all of the students hanging around outside as Grace pulled into the student parking lot.

All of a sudden Jessie was once again knocked out of her daydreams, this time by the screeching of car brakes.

"Oh my God!" Jessie screamed, jolting forward in her seat. She regained her composure long enough to look over at Grace, who was frozen with her hands on the wheel. She looked like she was about to throw up.

"Grace?" Jessie screamed again. "What the hell!?"

Grace let go of the wheel, jumping out of the car, and Jesse followed suit.

They ran to the front of the car, only to find a flustered looking girl sitting on the ground, breathing heavily. She looked up wide-eyed at the two.

"Katie?" Grace gasped.

"Grace?"

Jessie looked on, staring at the fallen girl without realizing it. Katie, she decided, was a really pretty name. '_Wait...what??_'

The girl, or Katie, spoke again, this time a little louder. "Grace, you could have killed me!" She closed her eyes and exhaled heavily, then stood up to dust herself off.

"S-sorry," Grace stuttered. "I guess I wasn't paying attention. I mean, I was, but maybe I took the turn a little fast. There must have been, like, a blind spot or something, because really, I would never--"

Katie sighed, pressing two fingers to her temple. "It's fine," she said finally. "No harm no foul, right? I'm just gonna go before I'm late." She turned to look at Jessie, and stopped. She smiled. Suddenly she forgot why she was in such a hurry.

Jessie smiled back at her, but suddenly felt herself starting to blush. "Um...are you sure you're okay?" she asked softly.

Katie laughed. Despite almost getting run over, she was grinning ear to ear. "Ya, I'm fine. Or, at least I will be once I get that killer chemistry test out of the way. That's probably the reason I walked out in front of your car. I swear, those things...they just make your head spin, ya know?" She was rambling. '_Wow Katie...could you be any lamer?_'

Jessie giggled.

Katie, pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, still staring at the blonde in front of her. There was something about this girl that she liked, despite the fact that she had anything to do with Grace Manning. "What's your name?"

"Jessie," the younger girl blurted out, shifting her weight. She was obviously nervous. It was cute.

"I'm Katie," she smiled back, a few loose strands of her brown hair sweeping across her face. "And...I really have to get to class. But I'll see you around?"

"Sure, but...next time you hopefully won't be on your back in a parking lot."

Jessie had attempted to be witty, and it had failed. She was usually very quiet, and now she was beginning to understand why that worked so well for her.

Katie laughed, nodding. That sounded like something she would have said...


	2. And With This Gift, I Compose Words

Oh man! I can't believe all of the positive feedback I've gotten on this story after only one day:D That just makes me want to write even more lol. And just to let you know, I'm pretty much pulling all of this out of my ass as I go along. Seriously, I have no idea where I'm going with this. (but wherever it is, I'm sure it will be great...lol) So if you have any ideas or want to give me any pointers or anything, comment/message me or whatever. (message me if you want my AIM sn)

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"Katie! Hey!"

Katie Singer turned around, craning her neck to see who had called her. Swarms of kids were walking by all around her, trying to make it to class before the late bell. She scanned above them, suddenly spotting the object of her annoyance.

Tad , her best friend and biggest pain in the ass, was running across the sidewalk towards her. He stopped right in front of her, nearly out of breath. "Katie, oh man! You almost got nailed by that Manning chick! It was like...man she could have just flattened you!" he puffed.

"Me? Almost get run over? JUST NOW??" Katie put on an alarmed expression, made even more sarcastic by her flailing hand gestures. She looked like she was summoning a rain god.

"Ya!" Tad breathed, a very concerned look on his face. He nodded furiously.

Katie sighed. Tad had never been the brightest crayon in the box. "Keep your skirt on Tad, I'm fine, the car came nowhere near me." She put a hand on his shoulder, rolling her eyes.

"Are you sure? Cuz I mean you were DOWN."

Katie didn't even reply to that, because she wasn't quite sure how to. "Come on Tad, we're gonna be late..."

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Jessie slammed her locker shut out of frustration. Why did Grace have to make everything so difficult?

"Jessie, I don't see why Karen can't just pick you up after therapy today!"

"Grace!" Jessie hissed. God, why didn't she just tell the whole world? '_As if I'm not enough of a loser already, now the entire student body has to know I'm some kind of head-case_...'

"Just call her, maybe she'll be okay with taking you this time. Or maybe Rick?"

"I don't want to bother them, Grace. It's not like it's that far out of your way anyways, okay? You're just making a really big deal out of-"

"Look , I have a life, too," Grace cut her off, and continued to protest. "Just. This. ONCE."

Jessie had listened to just about enough of Grace's whining for one day, and whipped her head around, staring at her sharply. "A life, huh? Could've fooled me, sis."

Grace's mouth fell open. Freaking out was definitely not a Jessie-like characteristic.

"But that's fine," Jessie continued. "I don't care who takes me. I don't even care if I go! So have fun doing whatever you want, Grace, because I don't care about that either!"

She turned back around and stomped off, pushing past the small crowd of people that had gathered around to watch Jessie's spontaneous 'Roast-of-Manning'. Why was she being like this?

She turned the corner to the bathroom, still steaming from her not-so-friendly encounter with her step-sister. She wasn't even really sure why she had gotten so upset about it. Her mind was obviously somewhere else.

She trotted over to the sink and splashed some water on her face, wiping off the excess drops with the sleeve of her hoodie. She glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun, her blue eyes just as soft as ever. She ran her hand across her cheek, noticing that it was still red from yelling. She wasn't used to expressing her anger like that.

She looked back down to turn off the water, then quickly turned around. She gave a shrill yelp when she bumped into another person behind her, almost knocking both of them over.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know that there was anybody else in here," she stuttered, color slowly starting to return to her face when she realized who she was currently standing two inches away from.

The other girl laughed her perfect laughed, and flashed her charming smile. "We've got to stop meeting like this," she grinned.

It was Katie Singer.

Jessie looked down, smiling. What was it about this girl that made her so freaking nervous?? '_Words, Sammler! Use your words!_' Jessie thought, still staring at her shoes.

"Sorry, I'm a little out of it. We've only been at school for an hour, but it already feels like it's been a long day."

"I know the feeling," Katie laughed, still grinning. She turned to the sink and started to wash her hands.

"Ya, well, my step-sister doesn't exactly make it any better.."

"Your step-sister?"

"Ya, her name's Grace. You know, she almost turned you into a hood ornament this morning in the student parking lot?" Jessie couldn't stop the sentence until it was already out of her mouth.

Katie laughed.

"I'm sorry, that was stupid. It must have really been terrifying," Jessie apologized quickly, pressing her hand to her forehead. '_Smooth Sammler, make fun of the girl. She couldv'e been hurt!_'

Katie laughed even harder. "So Grace is your step-sister, huh?"

Jessie gave a small nod.

"Well...tell her I said hi," she smiled, backing towards the door while simultaneously throwing away her paper towel. She could care less about Grace, as long as she got to see Jessie again. "See you around?"

Jessie smiled. "Sure."

Katie smiled as well. Suddenly her day seemed just a little bit brighter.


	3. And Question That Comes Forward

Okay, so...sorry for how long the update took. I was hit with a severe case of...WRITER'S BLOCK! (Gasp! lol) But now I know where the story's gonna go. (Heehee!) Anyways...enjoy! . (and if you were wondering, the play that they're doing is called "The Importance of Being Earnest")

Oh! And bonus points to anyone who can tell me what song each of the chapter titles are from. :

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Jessie couldn't sleep. She turned over on her side, sighing loudly. '_What is WRONG with me??_' she thought, squinting to see the digital alarm clock on her bedside table. The glowing green characters read '2:05 A.M.' Great. Just great. She had school in 6 hours, and she felt like her internal clock was running on Tokyo time.

She shifted positions, lying on her back this time. Auditions for the school play were tomorrow, and as much as she would have liked to ignore that unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach, Jessie knew how nervous that made her. She loved to sing, and she was an excellent actress, but she wasn't sure if she could ever do those things in front of so many people. Stage fright is a bitch.

Jessie sighed, putting her hands behind her head. Only a couple of hours to go...

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"CUT!" Mr. Dimitri called out, his voicing reaching all corners of the large auditorium. "Now let's start over Katie, this time with more feeling," he motioned to the girl on stage, emphasizing the last part of his sentence with spastic hand gestures.

'_Man, he has really let this whole director thing go to his head_,' Katie thought, clearing her throat while rolling her eyes.

"Cecily CARDEW?!" she started, tipping her head forward then jerking it back up quickly so that her hair swept dramatically towards her back. "What a VERY sweet name! Something tells me that WE are going to be GREAT friends! I like you already more than I can say! My first impressions of people are NEVER WRONG!!!" She leaped across the stage, falling dramatically to the floor.

Several members of the audience snickered. Katie got up, dusting herself off. "Was that enough feeling for you, Mr. Dimitri?" she smirked.

Mr. Dimitri sighed. He should have known better. "It was fine, Katie." He glanced down at his clipboard. "Okay, I need...Jessica Sammler to the stage for the part of Cecily."

Jessie hopped up from her seat cautiously, then made her way up the steps to the stage. Katie nodded to her, grinning.

"Thank you, Jessie. Now girls, right where we left off. And action!"

Jessie took a step towards Katie, looking down at her script. "Um...How nice of you to like me so much after we have known each other such a comparatively short time," she stuttered. She looked up at Katie, who was smiling back at her. '_God, could these lights be any hotter??_' She looked back down at her script, clearing her throat. "Pray sit down."

"I may call you Cecily, may I not?"

"With pleasure!"

"And you will always call me Gwendolyn, won't you?"

"If you wish."

"Then that is all quite settled, is it not?"

"I hope so!"

By now both girls were smiling. This was going better than they thought.

Mr. Dimitri stood up, applauding their performance. "Very nice girls. And...that wraps up the auditions for today. Parts will be posted on Wednesday, have a nice afternoon!" He motioned towards the exit.

With that, everybody in the auditorium stood, making their way towards the door. Jessie and Katie followed.

"Hey Jessie, wait up!" Katie called. Jessie turned around, still smiling.

"You were...really good," Katie smirked.

"Thanks, you weren't bad yourself."

The two just stood there, staring at each other. Jessie hated awkward silences. "I've gotta go," she said suddenly, grabbing her bag and walking quickly towards the door. She felt like she was going to throw up.

"Wait!" Katie called after her. But it was too late, Jessie was already out the door. Katie sighed. "Call me..."

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"Grace!" Katie called over the crowd. She sped up, taking two stairs at a time. "Wait up!"

Grace turned around, looking quizzically at Katie. What did she want to talk to her for?

"Wait...Hold on..." Katie puffed up the last few stairs. "Hey," she smiled when she reached the top.

"Hi..." Grace said cautiously. "What's up?"

"Nothing really, I just felt kinda like talking to my good friend Grace Manning, that's all. You know, we haven't really said a lot to each other over the years, and I thought--"

"Katie, seriously," Grace grinned rolling her eyes. Katie really sucked at lying. "What do you need? I'm late for English."

Katie hung her head, then lifted it back up, giving Grace the most innocent look she could muster up. "I was wondering if I could...get your number?"

Grace was taken back. "What for?"

Katie sighed, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "You and Jessie live together, right? I mean, you would kinda have to, considering you guys are family and whatever..."

Grace grinned. "So you want to talk to Jessie?"

"Well ya, I mean considering we might be in the school play together, I was thinking that she might want to rehearse with me sometime. Well, if she gets the part, that is. Which she totally will, not only because she was fantastic, but because she was the only one that auditioned for Cecily..."

"Well...how are you so sure that you'll get the part of Gwendolyn?"

"Because I'm amazing," Katie grinned, batting her eyelashes.

Grace was not impressed.

"And...because the only other person that tried out was a guy...?"

Grace busted out laughing. If ever there was a detail to leave out of an argument, that was it. "Well was he at least a pretty guy?" she snickered.

"Grace this isn't funny!"

Grace sighed, "I'm sorry, Katie." She looked up at her, rolling her eyes. "You got a pen?"


	4. Are You Perspiring From the Irony?

So...I decided to combine some of this chapter with chapter 3, then add more to this...cuz it seemed like all of my chapters were to short. lol hope nobody minds! n.n (not that it matters seeing that I've lost all of my readers!!! D: I'm so sorry for the long wait, guys!!!)

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Jessie sighed, putting her hands behind her head as she laid on her back in the attic. The room was dim and quiet, a light rain falling outside the small window.

Jessie began to hum, softly at first but then louder, so that the sweet sound carried down the stairs and into the kitchen where Rick and Lily were preparing dinner.

Rick turned his head, trying to hear Jessie better. "That has to be my favorite sound in the whole world," he smiled.

Lily walked up behind him, hugging his waist. "You know, she hasn't done this in a while," she pointed out. She rested her head on his back.

Ricked frowned, then smiled again. "I know," he whispered. "I think...I think she's happy."

Just then the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Grace shouted, bounding down the stairs and into the kitchen. She snatched up the phone from the receiver, leaning on the counter. "Hello?"

Rick looked at Lily questioningly. Lily just shrugged, going back to chopping vegetables.

"Oh, hey Katie. Ya, I'll get her." She covered the phone with her palm. "JESSIE!" she screamed. "PHONE!"

"I've got it!" Jessie gave a faint yell in reply.

Grace clicked the phone back down, grinning.

"Who was that?" Rick asked, motioning to the phone with a turn of his head.

Grace walked backwards towards the stairs. "Katie Singer," she grinned again.

Rick turned back to Lily. "Who's Katie Si--"

Lily gave him a look. Both of them knew that when it came to their daughters, it was best not to get involved.

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Jessie clicked the button on her cordless phone, putting it up to her ear. "Hello?" she said cheerfully.

"Oh...um...Jessie?" Katie voice sounded small over the phone.

"Who is this?"

"Oh, hey, it's Katie. You know, Katie Singer! The annoying girl who Grace, or I mean your step-sister hit in the parking lot and...thentheschoolplaythatweauditionedforthisafternoonwhen..." She needed to slow down. All of her words were beginning to run together. '_Speak ENGLISH, Singer!_'

"Ya, I remember," Jessie smiled. Her palms were starting to get sweaty. Even though Katie couldn't see them over the phone, Jessie felt self conscious and wiped them on her jeans. '_What is with me today??_'

"So...how do you think you did?"

"Alright, I guess."

"Ya, I guess I did alright, too. A little shaky, though. But only because Mr. Dimitri was getting on my last nerves."

Jessie smiled. "He did get a little carried away..."

Katie sat upright in the chair she had been slouching in. She was getting off topic. "Well...if we make the cut, Tad and I are planning on doing some rehearsals after school sometime. And, well, I decided that your charectar might be a little important in deciding the outcome of this...fabulous production."

Jessie nodded. "Ya, maybe a little..."

"So..." Katie paused, gathering her thoughts. "So I was wondering if you would want to rehearse with us. It'll just be me and Tad, no pressure I promise. I mean...you know Tad, right?"

Jessie gave a half-smile. "Ya...isn't he your boyfriend?"

Katie choked on her soda, sputtering into the receiver.

"..Katie? Hello?"

"Wha-?" she gasped finally? "No, no, Tad and I are friends! Just friends, good friends, only friends."

Jessie laughed. "Are you sure? I mean, I've seen you guys together a lot, and I just assumed..."

Katie cut her off playfully. "First rule of battle, Jessie- never assume. Do you know who taught me that?"

"Tad?"

"No, Ta- wow, nice guess."

Jessie laughed out loud this time. Katie was unusually charming, she'd give her that. "So...you guys are just friends?"

"Mmhmm."

"Is it because you're with someone else?"

Katie smirked as well, finally starting to breath normally again. "No, it's just that I'm..."

Just then Jessie heard a faint call from downstairs. "Jessie! I need to use the phone!"

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Katie, I have to go, Grace is about to blow a fuse."

Katie laughed. "Okay then. But we're still going to rehearse, right?"

"Sure, I'll talk to you about it at school."

"Okay. Later Jess."

"Later."

Jessie smiled as she hung up the phone. She wasn't sure why, but talking to Katie, even though she barely knew her, never failed to put her in a good mood.

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Katie pressed the "end" button on her phone, tossing it onto her bed. She was grinning ear to ear.

She sat in thought for a minute, then hopped up off the side of her bed and ran over to her backpack. With a goofy grin still plastered on her face. She rummaged for her lines, letting out a triumphant "Aha!" when she found them crumpled between a couple of folders.

She ran over and shut her bedroom door, and with that, began to recite every last word on the page out loud. If the way to Jessica Sammler's heart was through this play, then Katie was going to be the star.


	5. Or Sweating to These Lyrics?

Well, time for another round of Jessie and Katie cuteness. Got your emoticons ready? Good. You're going to need them. lol n.n (sorry again for the long wait btw. I'm such an inconsistent writer! T.T)

Jessie practically skipped down the hall to the empty history room, which happened to be the hastily decided upon rehearsal spot for Katie, Tad and herself this afternoon. Hastily in the sense that Katie wrote the room number down on a gum wrapper and threw it across the auditorium at Jessie as soon as they found out they got the parts. Jessie smiled as she got nearer. She could hear Katie yelling at Tad from around the corner.

"The word is ARISTOCRATIC, okay? Not 'apisstocratic', 'aristocraptic, or 'aristocratit'. It's NOT that hard!!!" Katie shrieked.

Tad gave a small chuckle. "...That's what she said."

"Okay that's it. Come here, I'm kicking you in the balls." Katie got up swiftly, a solemn look plastered on her face.

"Well that sounds really appealing, but I think I'll just-"

"Ya nice try, come here!" Katie laughed as she lunged at Tad.

"Katie seriously stop! No, I'm sorry!" Tad yelled, narrowly missing a collision with her foot.

Jessie had made it to the edge of the door by then, giggling at the sight of Katie jumping over desks trying catch the lunk of a football player. "Am I...interrupting something?" she smiled, finally making an appearance in the doorway.

"Jessie!" Katie smiled, letting Tad out of her choke hold. "Great, you're just in time! Tad and I were..."

"Just warming up," Tad grunted, lifting himself from the floor and dusting off his letter jacket. He gave Jessie a cheeky smile. "Hey."

"Hey," Jessie grinned, quickly turning her attention back to Katie. "So, uh...what scene are we doing?"

"Act 2, part 2," Katie replied, fishing her script out of her backpack. "We'll just start off with Tad's part, I guess. Algernon?"

"Ready," Tad grinned.

"Ceily?"

"Ready," Jessie cleared her throat.

Katie shrugged, peering at the paper. "Great, umm...action?"

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Katie licked at her ice cream, trying her hardest not to let it drip down her hand. She gave a small grin directed at the beautiful girl sitting across from her in the booth, the girl who made the diner they had stopped by after practice seem to melt away around her. The girl who suddenly spoke, knocking Katie out of her daze.

"You've got a little something on your chin," Jessie giggled at Katie.

Shit. Perfect timing. "Oh jeez, uh, where?" Katie mumbled as she wiped her hand across her face, a tinge of embarrassment audible in her voice.

"Oh, you just missed it," Jessie smiled.

Katie rolled her eyes and gave a sheepish grin. She reached for the napkin holder, and held it in front of her, peering into it as if it was a mirror. "I can't really..."

"Here, I've got it." Jessie reached across the table, stopping halfway to grab a napkin from Katie's makeshift mirror, and softly wiped Katie's chin with it. Her hand lingered. "Got it," she smiled.

Katie blushed furiously at the contact, as fireworks went off in her head. "Thanks," she said meekly. She looked down at her watch, sighing. "I think I'd better take you home now, though," she said, trying hard to get the words out. Honestly, she could sit here forever.

Jessie looked back at her. She really didn't want to leave, either. Hanging out with Katie always made her feel so bubbly, though she wasn't quite sure why. But the thought that they would see each other at practice tomorrow gave her the reassurance she needed to heighten her mood even more.

"Okay," said Jessie as she bounced up, grabbing her hoodie from the edge of the table. "Thanks for the ice cream," she smiled.

Katie beamed back. "Anytime."


	6. And This Just In: You're a Dead Fit

Okay, so...i know my updates have been like monkey shit recently. You just never know when I'm going to throw one at you. And that's totally my fault. [Bad Alli! Bad! But school's a bitch, and I forget sometimes...so I'm sorry. Anyways, I promise I'll try to update more often, for those of you that still care. Boo-hoo, here's your story--

[At least this chapter is a little longer than usual n.n

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Today had not been a very good day for Jessie. She practically had to beat the phone away from Grace this morning to call Tad, only to find that he was sick and couldn't make it to rehearsal.

"Ib sorreh Jesseh, Ib jus not feewin well," he croaked from the other end of the line, adding a cough for emphasis. "I guess Gatie gan take mah pwace fuw today."

Jessie sighed, making her way up the steps to Katie's front door. At least it wasn't all bad. She would finally have a chance to spend time with Katie without having to hear Tad's incessant groans at whatever they happened to be talking about, and his dirty limericks coming into play every two seconds.

Suddenly the door swung open and Katie jumped out onto the porch almost on top of Jessie, her brown hair sweeping across her face. "Good day, fine lady! Welcome to my humble abode!"

Jessie giggled.

Katie smirked. "Oh, DO come in!"

Jessie made her way through the doorway, looking around. _Katie's house seems nice. It's...interesting._

"Nice elephant," Jessie giggled, nodding her head towards a large porcelain elephant sitting in the corner.

"Hey man, don't mock Leonard" Katie grinned.

"You named it Leonard?"

"Seemed fitting."

Jessie smiled. The girl certainly had her charm, she'd give her that.

"You want some orange soda?" Katie called from the kitchen.

"Sure!" Jessie called back, following the sound of her friend's voice.

Katie heaved the liter of soda out of refrigerator, shutting it with her foot. She then juggled the bottle in one hand while retrieving two glasses from the top shelf with her other hand.

"Here, let me get that for you," Jessie said, taking the glasses. She smiled at Katie and began pouring the drinks.

"Right," Katie sighed, looking through the cupboard. 'We have...poptarts, I think. Wait, no...crackers? Oh hey, I've struck gold!" Katie pulled a bag of chips out of the cupboard and raised it high above her head in victory.

Jessie ran up behind her and snatched the bag away. Katie rolled her eyes, grabbing Jessie's free hand and leading her to the table. Jessie shivered at the contact. Katie's touch made her feel...tingly.

"Now my lady," she grinned as she let go of Jessie's hand and sat down at the table. "We feast!"

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As soon as both girls were settled in the cluttered yet cozy living room (and had both had their fill of orange soda), their practice began. Lines were jumbled, cues were missed, and Katie tripped over the coffee table not once, but twice in the span of five minutes.

"But was our engagement ever broken off?" Katie read, moving closer to Jessie than she had been the moment before, her free arm flailing around over her head.

**Jessie grinned, scanning her own script. "**Of course it was. On the 22nd of last March. You can see the entry if you like. 'To-day I broke off my engagement with Ernest. I feel it is better to do so. The weather still continues charming.'"

"But why on earth did you break it off? What had I done? I had done nothing at all." Katie grinned, still reading the part of Algernon. This was one of her favorite lines. "Cecily, I am very much hurt indeed to hear you broke it off. Particularly when the weather was so charming."

Jessie moved closer to Katie this time. "It would hardly have been a really serious engagement if it hadn't been broken off at least once. But I forgave you before the week was out." She laughed as Katie fell to a kneeling position in front of her, grasping her hand.

**Katie grinned too, and looked back down at the script. She all of a sudden became nervous. "**What a perfect angel you are, Cecily." Katie loosened her grip on Jessie's hand, looking up at her.

"You dear romantic boy," Jessie cooed. She looked down at the line.

[Algernon kisses Cecily

Katie offered her hand to Jessie, intertwining their fingers so that they were facing the backs of each other's hands. This was a trick that they used for kissing scenes between Tad and Jessie, even though Tad protested quite a bit. Katie smiled.

Both of their heads moved foreword, and Katie closed her eyes. There was nothing like theatrics.

Jessie froze for a moment. She thought back to the ice cream parlor, to the parking lot and to the auditions for the play. She thought about how Katie made her laugh, how good her hair smelled and how her smile made her feel like she was going to melt into a huge happy puddle on the floor. She remembered Katie holding her hand in the kitchen, and how warm it had made her feel. And then she did something that nobody, not even Katie, would have expected.

She moved both of their hands away, ignored the pounding in her chest and closed the final distance between them. Katie's eyes shot open, but she didn't have a lot of time to think because as soon as she realized what was going on Jessie pulled away, shocked at her own actions. She had just kissed Katie singer. Right on the lips.

Katie stared back at her, her hand slowly rising up to touch her lips as her rest of her face turned a bright crimson.

"Oh my God," Jessie whispered, backing away. "I'm...I'm so sorry." She looked at Katie in horror.

"Jessie, wait," Katie started, trying to reach out to touch Jessie's arm.

"I've got to go," Jessie mumbled, barely audible as she stood up and hurried towards the door, not even bothering to pick up her script on the way out.

"Jessie!" Katie shouted, her voice muffled by the crash of the screen door closing as the younger girl ran down the steps.

As she turned the corner onto the sidewalk Jessie turned to look back. She instantly wished she hadn't because the thought imprinted on her mind as she ran the rest of the way home was Katie's face pressed up against the glass, silently begging her to come back.


End file.
